Media opening sequence analysis

1. Opening Sequence Analysis 3
Sam Stockwell

2. Iron Man 3
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/iron
-man-3/
The opening sequence to Iron Man 3 starts with the main character Iron man, this shows he will be the main
focus in the film. They show some of Iron mans powers such as flying. The opening sequence starts off quickly
with lots of different shots shown very quickly. There is a close up of Iron mans face looking quite evil, however
Iron man is the protagonist. There is another shot of an explosion in the background as Iron man is walking away.
This shows the audience that it is an action film and that there will be a lot of fighting. After every shot there is a
long take, it pauses on the shot for a second, this allows the audience to stop and think about what is going on
and increases meaning. Iron man is flying towards the camera which makes the audience feel like he is flying
towards them, this could make them feel like they are in the film with him. As the credits come up the background
changes to red, the credits are in yellow which relates to his red and yellow colours. The intro shows clips from
the film, this is what would normally be in a film trailer which is different to other opening sequences. The actor
Robert Downey is dancing in around in his house in one of the shots, this shows the audience that his character
has a lot of humour. The music is very triumphant and heroic which relates to the film because he is the hero.
There is a two shot of Iron man kissing his iron man suit, this looks like the suit is another person because of
how passionate he is about it. There is a shot of one of the characters holding a gun, which also shows the
audience how much action there is in the film. There is a close up of a woman's face, her eyes are glowing red
along with a part of her face. The audience can instantly tell that this character is a antagonist. Most of the shots
of the characters are close ups, in these close ups the characters look very serious. This shows the audience the
alertness and seriousness of the characters.

3. The Shining
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-
shining/
The first shot of the opening sequence is an establishing wide shot
over a river, this sets scene for the intro. There is a trumpet being
played in the background in a very low pitch, which builds some
tension. There is an extreme long shot of a car driving from a very high
angle which makes the car look vulnerable. It changes to a shot behind
the car from a high angle, the shot is another establishing wide shot of
a mountain, it looks like the scene is set in a deserted area. The
camera comes right up close to the car and goes past it. The light blue
title of the film then appears which makes it stand out. Then the music
starts to change and speed up to build more tension in the opening
sequence. The opening sequence is mainly shot from a high angle of
the car, this will make the audience feel confused and wonder what is
going to happen. There is another establishing wide shot of the same
mountain but with snow on, this shows the car has been driving for
days which will also keep the audience thinking. At the end of the
opening sequence there is the last establishing wide shot of loads of
cars all parked outside a large building. The music is still very
mysterious which keeps the tensions building throughout the whole

4. An Education
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/an-
education/
The opening sequence begins in CGI with a hopscotch which straight away tells
the audience the film is about school because of the connotations of a hopscotch. it
then moves on to conkers on a string being smashed together and one of them
breaks. This suggests to the audience that the film is based around the 1950’s
because that is a game people used to play, it is also all written in chalk which
shows what decade it is set in. The music is very joyful and exciting which implies
the people at school are enjoying there self. There are two hands twisting a
skipping rope around which could imply that the film is based around girls. The title
of the film ‘An Education’ is presented in front of a bookshelf which relates perfectly
to the film title. The girls are shown walking out of the classroom balancing a book
on their head they look very focused. This implies that the girls could be scared
because of what life was like in them times. There is a high angle shot closing in on
one of the girls hula hooping, and then to a close up going from one girl to another.
They are all smiling and laughing. This suggests that they can let their hair down
and enjoy there self when they are by themselves. The last shot of the opening
sequence the girls are all in the classroom looking depressed and bored, this tells
the audience what school life was like.

5. Boardwalk Empire
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/boardwalk-
empire/
The opening sequence starts with the main character walking on the beach towards the sea. the audience can tell his a
main character because of the clothes his wearing, he is wearing a tie, a suit and a hat. This could also show the
audience where he stands on the hierarchy, because of what his wearing he would be very high up. There is a low shot
and close up of the mans shoes, his shoes look very smart to match his suit, this is another sign to the audience about
the mans statues. There is a extreme close up of the man getting a pack of cigarettes and then lighting one, this implies
that he could be very stressed. Clouds then scurry across the sky and start to darken. This could show that something
bad is about to happening to the man. There is then a extreme close up of a rose that the man is wearing on his chest.
The rose is big and a nice red colour, this could suggest he has a loved one that he wears this rose for. It then skips to
another extreme close up of the man looking lost and depressed. The extreme close up helps the audience to understand
his facial expressions. This implies to the audience that he is upset because of a loved one. The next shot is an extreme
close up of a cigarette, which could show that to get over his depression and stress he smokes. There is a extreme close
up of the man’s eyes, he looks very serious which is different to the other extreme close up. There is wine bottles in the
sea, which get washed up underneath between the main characters feet, this could suggest that this is the solution to his
problems. The weather has changed and it is now thunder and lightning, this shows how badly his life is going and how its
only getting worse. Rapidly the horrible weather lows over and the sun comes out, then there is a shot of just the bottles
on the beach and the man is gone. The next shot is a low angle close up of the him standing in the sea with a sign of
relief on his face, this suggests his finally overcome his problem. The main title ‘Boardwalk Empire’ appears as he walks
back towards the city. The main title is presented like a big sign in Vegas, this suggests he is going back to the big city.
The music starts off quite slow as it builds up, towards the end, when the sun comes out the music then stops until it goes
to a close up of the mans face. The music then changes and sounds as if the man is triumphant over his problems.

6. Pacific Rim
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/pacific-rim/
The opening sequence to Pacific Rim is all CGI. It starts off with an extreme close up of a
robots chest, we can tell it’s a robot because it is metal. This suggests to the audience that
the film is about robots. Also this could tell the audience that the film is set in the future
because of how complex they are. The robots look shiny which shows that they are new and
only just been made. There is a close up of a blade which is connected to the robot, this
connotes violence which suggests to the audience that action will be involved. The credits
link well with the film because they look very futuristic as do the robots. The music is steady
and consistent throughout the whole opening sequence until the end where it just comes to
a stop. There is a low angle low shot of one of the robots, this makes the robot look bigger
which makes him look daunting. In the shots of the robots fighting the antagonists there is a
red background, this suggests danger which can show the audience how powerful the
robots are. The antagonists look like old mythical creatures, this could confuse the audience
because the protagonists are very futuristic whereas the antagonists are from the past.
There is a low angle mid shot of a robot stabbing its enemy. When the robot stabs his enemy
blood spurts out, this relates back to the film being action and again implies to the audience
their will be a lot of killing. The last shot is a three shot of the main characters. This give the
audience a clear indication who to focus on.